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Nano-Technology
Overview The building of machines, robots gears or even functioning computers out of particles or atoms. This field is still in development but has projections for becoming a trillion dollar market in the near future(10 years). Currently governments have invested multiple billions of dollars in this field for the promise of military and medical applications. Nanotechnology originated when we developed the ability to observe and manipulate particles on an individual scale. Nanotechnology in itself is a broad topic as it is defined by size and it can also come to include materials such as carbon nano fibers as long as it is on a molecular level. Because of this scientists have described nanotechnology as any manipulation on the scale of one to 100 nano meters. A nano meter is a billionth of a meter, for comparison if a meter was the length the earth a nano meter would be the size of a marble. Nanotechnology allows us to break new limits in size by making smaller electronics, more fuel efficient engines and lighter cars and vehicles. We are now able to make stronger fabrics by weaving tiny fibres, coat objects to make them impervious to rust and even make clothes that will never dirty. Nanotechnology brings together physics and chemistry and the possibilities are virtually endless for what we can and have yet to achieve. Brief History This article : http://media.wiley.com/product_data/excerpt/53/07803108/0780310853.pdf by Mr. Feynman started the concepts at CalTech on December 29, 1959 On December 29, 1959, the American physicist Richard Feynman lectured, "There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom", at an American Physical Society meeting at Cal tech, which is often held to have provided inspiration for the field of nanotechnology. Feynman described a process by which the ability to manipulate individual atoms and molecules might be developed, using one set of precise tools to build and operate another proportionally smaller set, so on down to the needed scale. In the course of this, he noted, scaling issues would arise from the changing magnitude of various physical phenomena: gravity would become less important, surface tension and Van der Waals attraction would become more important, etc. This basic idea appears plausible, and exponential assembly enhances it with parallelism to produce a useful quantity of end products. The term “nanotechnology” was defined by Tokyo Science University Professor Norio Taniguchi in a 1974 paper as follows: “‘Nano-technology’ mainly consists of the processing of, separation, consolidation, and deformation of materials by one atom or by one molecule.” In the 1980s the basic idea of this definition was explored in much more depth by Dr. K. Eric Drexler, who promoted the technological significance of nano-scale phenomena and devices through speeches and the books Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology (1986) and Nanosystems: Molecular Machinery, Manufacturing, and Computation, and so the term acquired its current sense. Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology is considered the first book on the topic of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology and nanoscience got started in the early 1980s with two major developments; the birth of cluster science and the invention of the scanning tunneling microscope (STM). This development led to the discovery of fullerenes in 1986 and carbon nanotubes a few years later. In another development, the synthesis and properties of semiconductor nanocrystals was studied; This led to a fast increasing number of metal oxide nanoparticles of quantum dots. The atomic force microscope was invented six years after the STM was invented. In 2000, the United States National Nanotechnology Initiative was founded to coordinate Federal nanotechnology research and development. Fullerenes were discovered in 1985 by Harry Kroto, Richard Smalley, and Robert Curl, who together won the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Smalley's research in physical chemistry investigated formation of inorganic and semiconductor clusters using pulsed molecular beams and time of flight mass spectrometry. As a consequence of this expertise, Curl introduced him to Kroto in order to investigate a question about the constituents of astronomical dust. These are carbon rich grains expelled by old stars such as R Corona Borealis. The result of this collaboration was the discovery of C60 and the fullerenes as the third allotropic form of carbon. Subsequent discoveries included the endohedral fullerenes, and the larger family of fullerenes the following year. The discovery of carbon nanotubes is largely attributed to Sumio Iijima of NEC in 1991, although carbon nanotubes have been produced and observed under a variety of conditions prior to 1991. Lijima's discovery of multi-walled carbon nanotubes in the insoluble material of arc-burned graphite rods in 1991 and Mintmire, Dunlap, and White's independent prediction that if single-walled carbon nano tubes could be made, then they would exhibit remarkable conducting properties helped create the initial buzz that is now associated with carbon nanotubes. Nanotube research accelerated greatly following the independent discoveries by Bethune at IBM and Iijima at NEC of single-walled carbon nanotubes and methods to specifically produce them by adding transition-metal catalysts to the carbon in an arc discharge. In the early 1990s Huffman and Kraetschmer, of the University of Arizona, discovered how to synthesize and purify large quantities of fullerenes. This opened the door to their characterization and functionalization by hundreds of investigators in government and industrial laboratories. Shortly after, rubidium doped C60 was found to be a mid temperature (Tc = 32 K) superconductor. At a meeting of the Materials Research Society in 1992, Dr. T. Ebbesen (NEC) described to a spellbound audience his discovery and characterization of carbon nanotubes. This event sent those in attendance and others downwind of his presentation into their laboratories to reproduce and push those discoveries forward. Using the same or similar tools as those used by Huffman and Kratschmer, hundreds of researchers further developed the field of nanotube-based nanotechnology. Latest technology Invisibility cloak: This latest invention utilizes a computer a projector and a new type of material to simulate invisibility. THe application of nanotechnology comes in with the new material made of glass beads that measure 50 microns across. whats special about these beads is that they reflect light directly back at the source which with the help of a computer and projector can display what's behind them. Imagine flying in an airplane where the sky is visible all around you.This is just one of the proposed applications of this technology. We could also use this new fabric to eliminate blind spots in cars by projecting the surroundings in a 360 degree view. This also opens up the ability to create new types of human computer interactions ' ' Paper battery:' Nanotechnology has also lead us to the invention of the paper thin battery that combines carbon nano tubes and cellulose to create a lightweight super capacitor that is the thickness of a sheet of paper. These batteries are made by combining cellulose with an infusion of aligned carbon nano tubes th at measure to about one millionth of a centimeter thick.This brings us just one step closer in technology and has applications all way from making pacemakers safer and easier to make(No harsh chemicals) to ultra lightweight phones, car batteries or supplying the space industry.' ' Carbon Nano tubes: ' '''The invention of carbon nano tubes are perhaps one of the most exciting in all of nanotechnology. Made of carbon these tubes or wires are tiny and measure only a few nanometres across. a single carbon nano tube would be 200 times stronger than steel at 1 sixth of the weight! On top of this these tubes can be used to conduct heat with extreme efficiency, create tiny capacitors that we could use in our computers making them ultra light weight/small, or even be made into a large scale plane or spacecraft. a plane made out of carbon fibre has not only a more solid structure, but is more fuel efficient which helps with the diminishing amount of fossil fuels. This new material could also make space travel more realistic and extend our reaches to new planets. scientists are even proposing an elevator into the lower atmosphere that could be made out of carbon Nano tubes. ' Coating objects:' ' Nanotechnology has also given us the ability to coat objects with ultra fine particles that make anything resistant to liquids such as mud, water, oil or even paint. This could mean clothes that never get dirty or paper that could never get wet '''Important people Richard Feynman: ''' Richard Feynman was born May 11, 1918. He studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he obtained his B.Sc. in 1939 and at Princeton University where he obtained his Ph.D. in 1942. He was Research Assistant at Princeton (1940-1941), Professor of Theoretical Physics at Cornell University (1945-1950), Visiting Professor and thereafter appointed Professor of Theoretical Physics at the California Institute of Technology (1950-1959). At present he is Richard Chace Tolman Professor of Theoretical Physics at the California Institute of Technology. His lecture, “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom", provided the basis for the concepts and ideas that would develop the field of Nanotechnology. '''Dr. K. Eric Drexler: Kim Eric Drexler was born on April 25, 1955, in Oakland, California, to Allan Barry Drexler, a management consultant, and Hazel Edna Gassmann, an audiologist and speech pathologist. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, receiving a bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Science in 1977, a master's degree in Engineering in 1979, and a doctorate in Molecular Nanotechnology in 1991. Through his various speeches and the books Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology (1986) and Nanosystems: Molecular Machinery, Manufacturing, and Computation, he helped promote the field and give the term “nanotechnology” its current sense. Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology is considered the first book on the topic of nanotechnology. Dr. Richard Smalley: Richard Errett Smalley was born on June 6, 1943 in Akron, Ohio. He attended Hope College before transferring to the University of Michigan where he received his B.S. in 1965. Between his studies, he worked in industry, where he developed his unique managerial style. He received his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1973 with Prof. E. R. Bernstein. He completed postdoctoral work at the University of Chicago. Smalley, along with Sir Harry Kroto and Dr. Robert Curl, received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1996 for their discovery of fullerenes. Specifically what is known as the "buckyball": a carbon based, hollow molecule.Smalley was a large supporter of Nanotechnology and believed in many of its capabilities, including fighting cancer. Where is it Being Used The field of nanotechnology is vast and spans across many topics and areas, some of the areas that us or have nanotechnology in development include: 'Medicine ' For manipulating cells and viruses with tools small enough. In development now are also chemotherapy drugs that can deliver doses directly to cancer cells. In the future we hope to have nanobots that can repair individual cells similar to natural cell reparation. ' Electronics For making lighter faster and more powerful computers in a smaller space, such as lighter phones with more effective batteries. The smaller parts also mean more density which has the a proposed potential of one terabyte of memory per square inch or greater. In addition this allows us to make circuits with a width of 22 mm. Fuel ' Nanotechnology opens doors for us to be able to produce and mine fuel that would normally be to expensive and difficult to extract. It is also possible for nano technology to increase the mileage of engines '''Space industry ' With the invention of newer smaller electronics and materials It is now cheaper and more possible to send spaceships into space as every pound of material matters. This new technology is specifically used in carbon nanotubes that provide structural strength while maintaining low weight. Materals such as this could eventually lead us to a space elevator or more regular space missions 'Cleaner water ' Nano technology is able to help us with the removal of salt or metals from water. A deionization method using electrodes composed of nano-sized fibers shows promise for reducing the cost and energy requirements of turning salt water into drinking water. This type of system is also capable of removing viruses or harsh chemicals from water to provide for lakes or human consumption '''Future Developments Today, in the field of nanotechnology, scientists and engineers are taking control of atoms and molecules individually, manipulating them and putting them to use with an extraordinary degree of precision. Word of the promise of nanotechnology is spreading rapidly, and the air is thick with news of nanotech breakthroughs. Governments and businesses are investing billions of dollars in nanotechnology R&D, and political alliances and battle lines are starting to form. Public awareness of nanotech is clearly on the rise, too, partly because references to it are becoming more common in popular culture-with mentions in movies, books, video games, and television. As nanotech progresses, things we see in sci-fi movies become closer and closer to becoming a reality. For example, Star Trek, there are these machines called replicators that can literally create anything you want in a flash. With further developments in nanotech, these replicators could very well become something we commonly see in our everyday lives. Scientists call it molecular manufacturing, and if it ever does become a reality, it could drastically change the world. Atoms and molecules stick together because they have complementary shapes that lock together, or charges that attract. Just like with magnets, a positively charged atom will stick to a negatively charged atom. As millions of these atoms are pieced together by nanomachines, a specific product will begin to take shape. The goal of molecular manufacturing is to manipulate atoms individually and place them in a pattern to produce a desired structure. The first step would be to develop nanoscopic machines, called assemblers, that scientists can program to manipulate atoms and molecules at will. Rice University Professor Richard Smalley points out that it would take a single nanoscopic machine millions of years to assemble a meaningful amount of material. In order for molecular manufacturing to be practical, you would need trillions of assemblers working together simultaneously. Eric Drexler believes that assemblers could first replicate themselves, building other assemblers. Each generation would build another, resulting in exponential growth until there are enough assemblers to produce objects. Trillions of assemblers and replicators could fill an area smaller than a cubic millimeter, and could still be too small for us to see with the naked eye. Assemblers and replicators could work together to automatically construct products, and could eventually replace all traditional labor methods. This could vastly decrease manufacturing costs, thereby making consumer goods plentiful, cheaper and stronger. Eventually, we could be able to replicate anything, including diamonds, water and food. Famine could be eradicated by machines that fabricate foods to feed the hungry. Nanotechnology may have its biggest impact on the medical industry. Patients will drink fluids containing nanorobots programmed to attack and reconstruct the molecular structure of cancer cells and viruses. There's even speculation that nanorobots could slow or reverse the aging process, and life expectancy could increase significantly. Nanorobots could also be programmed to perform delicate surgeries -- such nanosurgeons could work at a level a thousand times more precise than the sharpest scalpel. By working on such a small scale, a nanorobot could operate without leaving the scars that conventional surgery does. Additionally, nanorobots could change your physical appearance. They could be programmed to perform cosmetic surgery, rearranging your atoms to change your ears, nose, eye color or any other physical feature you wish to alter. Nanotechnology has the potential to have a positive effect on the environment. For instance, scientists could program airborne nanorobots to rebuild the thinning ozone layer. Nanorobots could remove contaminants from water sources and clean up oil spills. Manufacturing materials using the bottom-up method of nanotechnology also creates less pollution than conventional manufacturing processes. Our dependence on non-renewable resources would diminish with nanotechnology. Cutting down trees, mining coal or drilling for oil may no longer be necessary -- nanomachines could produce those resources. Many nanotechnology experts feel that these applications are well outside the realm of possibility, at least for the foreseeable future. They caution that the more exotic applications are only theoretical. Some worry that nanotechnology will end up like virtual reality -- in other words, the hype surrounding nanotechnology will continue to build until the limitations of the field become public knowledge, and then interest (and funding) will quickly dissipate. How Nanotechnology will change the world Nanotechnology is an area of constant growth and new and smaller technology is being designed everyday. The constant push of nanotechnology has led us to smaller chipsets and transistors in computers, as of now we can foresee the creation of processing units out of molecules . This could mean faster computers that can do more processes in less time. As for the long term we can hardly tell where nanotechnology will take us but we can predict extremely fast computers that could fit in your hand and computers that are completely built on the molecular level. In terms of biotechnology nanotechnology makes it possible to fit complicated parts into a human being. This could mean replacement of organs such as eyes or liver. Machines like this would alert doctors to problems quicker and make robotics limbs available for the public. It might also be possible to manipulate individual cells in the future via nanobots, eliminating cancer and making some diseases a thing of the past. In conclusion Nanotechnology is a vast and constantly expanding field. We should all look forward to the possibilities and the future that nanotechnology will lead us to. QUIZ Question 1: Who came up with the name “nanotechnology? A: Richard Feynman B: Richard Smalley C: Norio Taniguchi D: Eric Drexler E: My dad Question 2: What is the name of the hollow molecular substance that includes nanotubes? A: Ghost molecules B: Fullerenes C: Nano-cules D: Space atoms Question 3: Name at least three of the new technologies that nanotech helped create. Question 4: Who wrote what is considered to be the first book about nanotech? A: Eric Drexler B: Stephen Hawking C: Richard Feynman D: Harry Kroto Question 5: Name two ways that nanotech can be used in medicine. Question 6: How do nanotechnological advancements benefit the field of electronics? Question 7: Name three uses for nanotechnology in the future. Question 8: What are some of the advancements nanotechnology can bring to computers? Answers 1) C 2)B 3)Invisible cloak, paper battery, coating objects 4)A 5)Manipulation individual cells and sending nanobots inside a human to kill cancerous cells. 6)Making electronics smaller and much faster. 7)Nanorobots that fight cancer, nanorobots that can repair the ozone lair and creating whatever object one desires (like in Star Trek). 8)Making smaller chipsets out of molecules; computers that are extremely fast that can fit in the palm of you're hand.